More than 300 policymakers and members of the business and advocacy community are gathering in Washington, D.C. this week for the fourth annual conference of the Partnership for America's Economic Success. Held July 10 at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the meeting will highlight problems facing young children, as well as the payoffs from investing in specific issues affecting this age group.

“The current economic and housing crises have made it absolutely imperative that we invest in young children today,” said Robert Dugger, managing director of the Tudor Investment Corporation and advisory board chair of the Partnership for America's Economic Success. “To have the economy we want in the future, we must invest in children now to help them become productive, successful adults. In particular, research shows that children are likely to pay a steep price for the nation's housing crisis, because of the disruption it causes in their lives and their educational success.”

The conference, “Using the Economic Message in Tough Economic Times,” gathers policymakers and thought leaders to discuss how investments in children, ages prenatal to five, can help strengthen the U.S. economy. Speakers at the event include:

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

Dana Connors (president of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce)

Thomas McDevitt (president and publisher of The Washington Times)

Maya MacGuineas (president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget)

Peter Peterson (senior chairman and co-founder of The Blackstone Group)

J.B. Pritzker (managing partner of The Pritzker Group)

Rebecca W. Rimel (president and CEO of The Pew Charitable Trusts)

Other participants include advocates and business leaders dedicated to improving both the lives of children today and the state of the U.S. economy in the coming years.

The Partnership for America's Economic Success will release analysis at the conference which highlights the lack of safe, affordable housing and its impact on kids. “The Hidden Costs of the Housing Crisis” examines the relationship between a stable, healthy home environment, and the ability for children to succeed in school and later in life. A full report on the impact of housing on the nation's young children will be released by the Partnership later this year.

“Research shows that stress on young children resulting from moving between homes multiple times can reduce high school graduation rates by as much as 13 percent,” said Sara Watson, director of the Partnership for America's Economic Success and senior officer at The Pew Charitable Trusts. “The current housing crisis is affecting growing numbers of children and families, and society will be paying for those impacts for years to come.”

“The MacArthur Foundation is pleased that The Partnership for America's Economic Success is weighing in, through research and with its considerable influence, on the role of housing in children's future success,” said Michael A. Stegman, director of policy and housing for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, which is funding the conference. “MacArthur is undertaking a broad, research-based program to understand how housing matters for American families and the communities in which they live. The Partnership's research makes a significant contribution to that effort and to a goal of making housing a high and enduring policy priority in this country.”

Other discussion topics at the conference include the benefit of raising family income and the use of federal tax expenditures as a source of revenue.

“The overwhelming interest we've had in this event, from policymakers to the business community, is a clear sign that investment in children is becoming a top priority,” said Daniel Pedersen, president of the Buffett Early Childhood Fund, which is one of the funders of the Partnership for America's Economic Success. “These leaders now realize that, by giving our youngest children the tools they need early in life, from early care and education to housing security, we all benefit.”

The Partnership for America's Economic Success was created by a group of business leaders, economists, advocates, and a dozen funders in order to document the economic impacts to the nation of proven investments in children from before birth and to age five. The Partnership is managed by The Pew Charitable Trusts. For more information, please visitwww.PartnershipforSuccess.org.

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